i watched it begin again
by bechloemyhaiz
Summary: arizona's new york apartment is across the hall from callie's to make things easier on sofia, but after a few weeks the two women decide to rekindle their relationship. after arizona has a tough day, how will she and callie handle it? will sofia be happy about the news that her moms are back together again? Calzona AU one shot.


"I'm home!" Callie called, knocking on Arizona's apartment door directly across from her own.

Sofia opened the door and wrapped her arms around the woman. "Hi Mommy!"

"Where's Momma? Is she ready to go get dinner?" Callie asked, walking inside.

"I don't know," Sofia replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Can I finish my homework before we go?"

"Of course, sweetheart," Callie replied. "Arizona! You almost ready?"

"Yeah," Callie heard a muffled response from the bedroom and gently knocked on the door before going inside. "Hey," Arizona said, turning around from the mirror and wiping her eyes. "Sorry I'm late."

"You're crying," Callie noticed, stepping forward to take Arizona's hand. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," Arizona said, letting go of Callie's hand to get shoes out of her closet. "Do you think you can take Sofia tonight though? I've had a shitty day and I need some peace and quiet."

"Arizona, we said we wouldn't do this anymore," Callie said, crossing her arms. When they agreed to start dating again, they both decided there'd be no more secrets and that they'd talk when they were upset instead of pushing their feelings down.

"Do what?" Arizona asked nonchalantly. "I'm fine."

"What happened?" Callie asked pleadingly. "Was it a patient? Something with Sofia? Is everything okay in Seattle."

"Sofia's summer camp has a field trip to a water park in Jersey next week and she wants me to chaperone," Arizona finally admitted.

"I'll do it," Callie shrugged. "What day is it? I'll take off work."

"She wants me there and I can't be there for her." The tears threatened to spill out of Arizona's eyes and she sat down on the bed in defeat. "She asked me and I can't because of this stupid leg."

"Arizona, don't do this to yourself," Callie said, sitting down next to the blonde and putting a comforting arm around her.

"I can't even be a decent mom some days," she said. "Like a few weeks ago when I had to wait in the parking lot for her and Zola instead of waiting outside the school because my leg was hurting too bad to make the trip out of the car. Or whenever she wants to go roller skating or to the amusement park or to the trampoline park. She's 7 years old and I can't grow up with her sometimes," Arizona rambled on, letting the tears fall.

"You are the best mom," Callie said seriously. "You realized she needed both of us way before I did. I sent her to be with you in Seattle because I thought she needed you. I didn't realize she needs both of us until you told me."

"She needs you more than she needs me," Arizona muttered. "You're there for her in all the ways I'm not."

"And you're there for her in all the ways _I'm_ not," Callie replied. "That's what coparenting is; we work together to raise this tiny human we created."

"I didn't create her either," Arizona said. "I'm basically the worst mother on the planet."

"You've made her into who she is," Callie said seriously. "You chose to be her Momma and she's got your heart and sense of humor and she somehow got your dimples," she laughed.

"Those are Mark's dimples," Arizona said, cracking a smile at that. "We have to give him a whole lot of credit."

"He wouldn't want you to feel this way," Callie said. "What would he say if he knew you were upset about this."

"He'd probably tell me how I've accomplished so much since the crash and that he and Sofia and you are proud of me," the blonde responded.

"You became double board certified!" Callie said with a huge smile. "Do you realize how freaking awesome that is? You're a fetal surgeon and for awhile there you were a single mom."

"While neither of us could get our heads out of our asses," Arizona laughed, wiping her eyes. "I have to fix my eye makeup," she said, standing up from the bed and walking into her master bathroom to get makeup remover and her eyeliner before she returned to the bedroom. She stood in front of the mirror fixing her makeup and Callie joined her, smiling at the realization she had just made: Arizona had the heart necklace on _and_ she had put her wedding ring on the necklace as well.

"You've got the ring on your necklace," she finally said, her own eyes threatening to tear up.

"It's been on there since the divorce," Arizona shrugged. "It's part of our past, and we survived it all so I want the ring on there."

"That's really sweet," Callie said, giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek. "I never want you to feel like you're not a good mom just because there's times where you physically can't do something for Sof. You're an amazing mom."

"I just can't get the feeling out of my head that she'll resent me or be embarrassed by me when she's a teenager," Arizona sighed, shaking her head.

"Her Momma's a freaking double board pediatric and fetal surgeon. She's seven years old and she already wants to be a doctor so I don't think she'll be too worried about whether or not you were able to go to the waterpark with her," Callie said. "She's going to grow up and look back on how strong and badass you were."

"You think so?"

"I know so," Callie said. "Now let's take her to her favorite restaurant and give her the news that we're back together again. And then after that we can put her to bed and watch a movie."

"Sounds perfect," Arizona smiled.

* * *

After a ride on the subway, which was still one of Sofia's favorite things even after living in the city for a year, the family of 3 was sitting in their favorite Italian restaurant waiting on their pizza to come. Sofia was sipping on her orange soda and coloring the kids menu with both of her moms when Callie and Arizona made eye contact at the same time and decided now would be a good time to tell Sofia they were back together.

"So," Callie cleared her throat, not knowing exactly where to start the conversation. "You know how you and Momma moved all the way back to New York so you could be with me, right?"

"Uh huh," Sofia said, putting down her crayons to look at her mothers sitting across from her.

"Well we moved back here so that I could be with Mommy as well," Arizona said.

"What do you mean?"

"Momma and I have decided that we want to be together again, so we're dating," Callie explained.

"Oh, I knew that," Sofia said.

"You did?" Arizona asked.

"Yeah," Sofia shrugged. "I saw you guys kissing last week when I was supposed to be finishing my homework."

Both women laughed at that before Arizona's expression fell serious. "You're okay with that right? You don't mind us being together again."

"I love it!" Sofia said excitedly. "Now we can be one happy family again!"

* * *

It didn't occur to either of the women what the word family meant to them until they were wine drunk watching Mama Mia! at midnight, sloppily making out while Sofia slept soundly in her bedroom. Things hadn't been this way for years and both women felt this was the fresh start they needed. There wasn't any more resentment or stress. There were happy nights in a new city full of pizza and wine and early 2000's movies and neither of them would trade it for anything in the world because they loved each other and, finally, none of the rest of it mattered.


End file.
